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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29309616">One Crazy Night</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Steerpike11/pseuds/Steerpike11'>Steerpike11</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Monster Prom (Visual Novel)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Funny, Misadventures, Romance, Romantic Comedy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:29:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,529</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29309616</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Steerpike11/pseuds/Steerpike11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Oz goes out for karaoke for the first time with all his friends and the night only gets crazier from there.  In the midst of all the chaos, will he find a chance to make a move and tell Valerie how he really feels?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Valerie Oberlin/Yellow | Oz</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Pelvis on Fire</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Oz was a lot of things.  He was intelligent, affable, fun-loving and a loyal friend for starters.  He also wasn't a lot of things.  Super brave being one of them.  He had never done karaoke before, and yet here he was waiting with increasing anticipation and dread for his turn.</p>
<p>Vicky was up on the stage now with Zoe, the two belting out a tipsy duet rendition of Edge of Glory by Lady Gaga.  Both of them were singing directly into Calculester's butt, which had nothing to do with their drinking and everything to do with Cal having cannibalized a karaoke machine as part of the process for making his body.  The twist was that none of them had picked that song.  Brian selected it for them.  That was the custom among the color crew (sans Oz until tonight) to pick songs for each other to sing.  You wouldn't know what they picked until you got up to the stage.  Sometimes they picked songs they knew the other person knew well, and sometimes they didn't just for a laugh.  And Oz, though anxious, would admit that it did make the whole thing seem more fun with an element of surprise and adding a bit of depth beyond the usual alcoholic caterwauling that one normally associates with karaoke.</p>
<p>Oz spared a glance around the table.  Brian, Amira, Valerie, Vera, Miranda, Damien, Polly, Liam and Scott.  And most of them were bulldozing their way through the booze while Oz was still sipping on his first beer.  He was less than halfway through it when he felt a soft hand on his shoulder and looked over to see Valerie smiling at him.  He repressed a light blush at the sight.  For weeks he'd been crushing on Val but hadn't worked up the nerve to say anything yet.  Bottom line, he was terrified of making the wrong move and ending their friendship.  And the only thing worse than being in love with someone you couldn't have was that same someone not wanting to be in your life at all.  So Oz kept those feelings to himself.</p>
<p>"Hey, Ozzy!" Valerie shouted over the music.  "You okay?  You barely touched your drink."</p>
<p>This time Oz did blush a little and rubbed the back of his head with one hand.  "Heh... well... I-I get tipsy very fast," he offered as an explanation.</p>
<p>Polly giggled across from them and gave Oz a teasing look.  "You're such a lightweight."</p>
<p>"You say 'lightweight,'" Oz replied.  "I say, 'cheap date.'"  Where did that come from?  He hadn't drunk enough to loosen his lips yet, had he?  No, he was only just starting to feel a pleasant buzz.  Lately Oz had noticed a dash of boldness creeping into his speech.  He was still a nerd, but he was learning he didn't need to apologize for it, to himself or anyone else.  Making more friends had helped him feel more comfortable in his own shadowy skin.</p>
<p>The girls laughed at that and Valerie even remarked, "I can work with that," giving Oz reason to smile.  At least the joke landed.</p>
<p>Vicky, Zoe and Cal finished their song and returned to the table laughing hysterically.  Well, Vicky and Zoe were.  Calculester was still getting used to the concept of mirth and opted instead for a &lt;3 emoticon on his face-monitor.  They rejoined their friends to a round of cheers and ordering a new round of drinks.</p>
<p>Oz was taking another sip of his beer as the DJ called out Valerie's name and the catgirl proudly swaggered up to the stage like a rock star, earning a number of... Oz couldn't really think of a better term than catcalls unfortunately.  Valerie responded to her would-be paramours with a smirk and a middle finger.  When the familiar intro of Death or Glory by The Clash started playing, Val permitted herself a quick, "Yes!" and dove into the lyrics.</p>
<p>As she sang out, Oz watched with a small smile.  She bobbed her head to the drum beat, causing her asymmetrical haircut to whip and sway back and forth.  The swaying of her hips was like a hypnotist's watch and Oz found he was having a hard time not staring.  She had a nice voice, too.  He secretly felt a little proud at having picked that particular song when they were all signing up.  He and Val had skipped class the other day to get high in the bathrooms and listen to London Calling.  She said this was her favorite song on the album.</p>
<p>
  <em>But I believe in this and it's been tested by research</em>
  <br/>
  <em>He who fucks nuns will later join the church!</em>
</p>
<p>Sweet Satan, she was hot.  It was a good thing at this point the group was too hammered to notice Oz being transfixed by Valerie's performance.  She was pumping her fist to the chorus and really getting into it.  She ended up going off-key a few times as a result, but it was clear that she didn't care.</p>
<p>
  <em>Death or glory becomes just another story</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Death or glory, just another story</em>
</p>
<p>The song concluded before Valerie stepped off the stage to drunken applause and whoops.  Oz barely had time to welcome her back to the table before he froze in place at what he heard over the loud speakers.</p>
<p>"Alright my dudes, next up on the roster is Oz!  Get up here and show us what you got!"</p>
<p>All of a sudden, the anxiety hit him like a fist.  He couldn't quite work up the will to stand up.  The rest of the crew at the table were egging him on.  "Come on Oz," Vicky urged.  "You got this!  It's on like Donkey Kong!"</p>
<p>"Can it not be on at all?" Oz pleaded.</p>
<p>"Oh no," Amira retorted.  "I ain't letting your bitch ass out of this one.  Val promised us she picked a good one."  Valerie picked the song he was intended to butcher?  That just made it a thousand times worse!</p>
<p>Before he could say another word in his defense, Scott and Brian were picking him up out of his seat and holding him aloft as they carried him to the stage while everyone at the table chanted his name.  It felt like a death march.  Why were they doing this?  What had he done to deserve this?  The other people at the bar were laughing and Oz could feel his phobias squirming underneath his clothes with anticipation.  Oz felt himself deposited on the stage and he walked up to the DJ to take the mic like Socrates the hemlock.</p>
<p>He looked out on the crowd with eyes wide and nerves shot.  He could practically hear every laughing voice individually in the bar overpowering the cheers of his friends.  Time was moving differently ever since the DJ called his name.  It was progressively slowing down until Oz wondered if it might just stop and he'd never have to go through with this.</p>
<p>And then the song started.  He knew that raunchy riff by heart.  Holy... fucking... shit!  Valerie wanted to hear him sing Pelvis on Fire by Volbeat?  WHY??  First of all he sounded nothing like Michael Poulsen and second-</p>
<p>
  <em>I'm customized to do everything I shouldn't do</em>
  <br/>
  <em>I learned all that I know by stubbornness and blues.</em>
</p>
<p>Fuck!  Months of singing along to that album resulted in muscle memory that just jumped right into belting out the lyrics as best he could.  Oz was purely going on autopilot at this point creating something not unlike a dissociative effect in his eldritch brain.  Essentially, he felt like a voyeur to his own performance.  Everyone at Spooky High had gotten a few singing lessons through the school theater department.  They could mostly be trusted on to carry a tune while sober.  Damien was quick to beat the ones who didn't.  Which just made the whole thing all the more terrifying for Oz.  Yes, karaoke is supposed to be bad.  But what if...?</p>
<p>Oh, why the hell did he have to look Valerie in the eye when he sang "juicy pussy pin-up?"  It was entirely by chance, but still!  Oz glanced down to see his phobias moshing beneath him in a shadowy mass.  Huh.  From the bar that would actually look pretty cool.  So there's that consolation.  And maybe rocking while sucking was the real point of karaoke anywa-oh fuck, oh shit, oh goddamnit!  He just had to look up and see Valerie's smiling face again as he blasted out, "You go girl, I'm in love with you!"  It's a good thing the lighting would probably hide his blush.  He just had to get through one more chorus and an outro.  Just that and this exercise in humiliation would come to a merciful end.</p>
<p>Oz managed to wail his way through the rest of the song at last and was quick to relinquish the microphone, less so to get back to his table.  His heart was pounding but his phobias were ecstatic.  He definitely ought to finish that beer.  It would really take the edge off.</p>
<p>At that moment someone grabbed him from behind and wrapped their arms around him in a tight hug.  Oz felt soft fur on his skin, what was unmistakably a pair of breasts pressed against his back, and a purr in his ear.  Valerie!</p>
<p>"That was great!" she laughed.  That melodic laugh alone gave Oz a bit of his courage back.  That wasn't a laugh, or a hug, of derision.  He looked up to see his friends at the table, all cheering.  Well, most of them.  Vera was politely applauding, but that was actually high praise for Vera.</p>
<p>"Th-thanks..." Oz stammered.  "Why did you pick that song?"  That was the question of the night.</p>
<p>Valerie laughed again and started leading him back to the table.  "Are you kidding?  I overheard you singing that in the shower the last time I crashed at you guys' place.  It was hilarious!  I had to hear it at least one more time before I die."  That was the moment Oz concluded he had proof that no, it was not in fact medically possible to die of embarrassment.  "And you did not disappoint!"  They got back to the table and holy shit, was Miranda blushing?</p>
<p>"Oz, that performance was absolutely scandalous!" the merprincess gasped.  "Could you, maybe... be persuaded to... do it again?" Her blush deepened.</p>
<p>"Oh don't worry," Vera chimed in.  "I already uploaded the whole thing to Monstergram."  Her snakes somehow managed to hiss and wave smugly.</p>
<p>Oz said nothing.  He just started shotgunning his half-finished beer, cheered on by Polly, Scott and Damien.  Once he had finished, Damien pumped his fist before spinning around and punching out a random stranger.  What followed were 2 words that scared the hell out of Oz almost as much as having to be on that stage: "BAR FIGHT!!"</p>
<p>To be continued...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Violence and Head Trauma</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Oz tries to survive his first bar fight.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"BAR FIGHT!!"</p>
<p>It was as if a bomb went off.  As soon as Damien declared he was ready for a fight, the whole bar erupted in chaos.  A spider-person had 3 different people in headlocks at once.  A yeti bodyslammed a lich into a neighboring table hard enough to send food and bar snacks flying in all directions.  Four people were trying unsuccessfully to take down an iron golem that just swatted them away casually while stealing unspilled drinks.  A group of fairies took turns tag-teaming a troll.  The demon bartender was busy repeatedly slamming a mummy's head into the taps.</p>
<p>Amira had turned up her flames and thus was getting 3 feet of personal space from sheer convection, looking very amused to watch this unfold.  Vicky and Brian took refuge under their table.  Someone punched a skeleton so hard his skull flew off and landed in Oz's lap.  "Hey bud," the skull said.  "Toss me back over there please?"</p>
<p>"Gah!" Oz flung the skull back in the direction it came from and joined his friends under the table.  Somehow he wished he could go back to everyone laughing at his karaoke.  "What the fuck?"</p>
<p>"Damien does this sometimes," Brian remarked of his demonic boyfriend.  "You get used to it."</p>
<p>"Used to it??" Oz replied.  "How often is sometimes?"</p>
<p>"About once a week when he's in a good mood," Brian replied.  A bowl of chips landed next to him and he helped himself to a handful.  "Five-second rule.  Anyway, I just wait it out."  The slacker zombie leaned back against the bench and proceeded to nap.  His ability to sleep anywhere under any circumstances was legendary.</p>
<p>"This is exciting," Vicky beamed.  "You think Scott would let me sit on his shoulders and throw stuff at people?"  It was sometimes scary how quickly she could turn that perkiness toward mayhem.</p>
<p>"Wouldn't he just chase anything you throw?" Oz asked in response.  Vicky didn't get a chance to reply as Liam was thrown unceremoniously onto their table, tipping it over.</p>
<p>"Urghh...  How gauche," Liam groaned from the floor.  "Would it be overly didactic of me to point out that this will only end in tears?"  Oz just assumed the question was rhetorical and scrambled to find a new hiding place amidst the flying fists, food and alcohol.</p>
<p>That was how he ran head-first into a world of hurt known as Calculester's metal body.  Oz was momentarily disoriented and felt Cal steadying him by the shoulders just before his vision cleared.  "Oh gosh!  Oh geez!  Oh no!  Friend Oz, all friends and bar patrons are engaged in melee.  We-"</p>
<p>Oz couldn't hear anything else as someone collided with him from behind and once again face met steel.  What followed was difficult to parse in Oz's memories later.  The most sense he could make of the 30-odd seconds that followed that impactful moment were that he and Cal got separated and Oz himself was jostled further into the crowd.  By the time he came to, his feet weren't touching the ground; he was being carried by the sheer press of bodies.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, before he could do anything about it Oz found himself being jostled into a large and very intimidating sasquatch.  With nowhere to retreat, the big guy grabbed him and hoisted him up by his collar.  "What are you looking at, fucko?" the sasquatch bellowed.  He drew his fist back and Oz braced himself for the incoming third crime against his facebones this evening.</p>
<p>Before the sasquatch could throw his punch however, a beer bottle smashed over his head.  His eyes going in different directions, he wobbled and let Oz go before falling over unconscious.  Standing behind him with the remains of the bottle in hand was Valerie.  "Come with me if you want to live, dumbass," she said with a wink.  All she was missing was some dramatic backlighting.</p>
<p>Oz didn't need any encouragement.  He quickly followed Val through a gap in the battling throng out of the bar and onto the sidewalk where the balmy summer night air helped to soothe his nerves.  "W-well that was harrowing."</p>
<p>"First bar fight?" Valerie asked.</p>
<p>Oz nodded sheepishly, to which Valerie giggled and playfully punched him in the arm.  "Don't worry about it.  You're running with the right crowd, you'll see more of this."</p>
<p>Oz was thinking of how to respond to that when he was interrupted by Scott, who crashed through one of the windows and tumbled out onto the sidewalk amidst a shower of broken glass.  With an enthusiastic woof, the werewolf sprang back up, shook himself off of any remaining shards of glass and dove back into the bar through the broken window as if nothing had happened.  "Sounds like... fun?" Oz remarked lamely.</p>
<p>Again, Valerie giggled.  "You know, you're cute when you're flustered."  The comment only made Oz blush anew eliciting another giggle from Valerie.  "Case in point.  Let's get out of here before the cops show up."</p>
<p>"What about the others?" Oz asked, glancing back inside at the bedlam and mayhem.</p>
<p>"It's not their first rodeo, my dude, they'll be fine.  Besides, Damien's the one who started it and he can just claim diplomatic immunity as a prince of Hell."  Valerie turned on her heel and started to walk off.  "And if my sister couldn't handle a few pigs, I'd never let her live it down."</p>
<p>Oz jogged to catch up.  He had to admit, a walk home through Monstropolis with just Valerie appealed.  He'd finally have a chance to talk to her alone, no distractions.  It was a real chance to get closer to her.  Perfect opportunity.  He just had to say something...  Like what?  Small talk?  No.  Comics?  No.  Personal questions?  Fuck no!  Why was he so bad at this?</p>
<p>The universe however had other ideas.  Valerie had pulled out her phone and scrolled through her messages absently before stopping on a particular one.  "Hey, check it out."  She held up her phone for Oz to see.  "Aaravi's getting a party together like right now!  You wanna go crash?"  She had that unmistakable gleam in her eyes when she got really excited for something.  It was a look that Oz realized was incredibly difficult to say no to.</p>
<p>"S-sure!"  Well at least that solved the crisis of conversation.  Although Oz had a feeling that Aaravi's idea of a party was slightly different from the way Valerie was taking it.  Or was she?  Can one crash an adventuring party?  This was getting into wordplay territory that Oz didn't want to overthink.  Either way, Aaravi's party probably was going to involve something or someone getting stabbed repeatedly no matter which definition she's using.  It was going to be a long night.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Werewolf of Wall Street</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Oz and Valerie team up with Aaravi to take on the Werewolf of Wall Street.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Oz found himself mentally retracing his steps. He had agreed to go to karaoke with his friends for the first time. Valerie made him sing Pelvis on Fire. Damien started a bar fight. Oz left with Val and the two of them went to see what Aaravi was up to with her party. They got there to discover Aaravi meant an adventuring party to take on the Werewolf of Wall Street. When she asked Oz what his character class was, he panicked and blurted out "partysmith" for lack of anything better to say and allowed himself to be conscripted into the party. Yeah, there. There's where he tripped up.</p><p>And that's why he was currently running down a well-lit, if sterile office building hallway beside Aaravi and Valerie away from a squad of the werewolf's yes men. The rest of their party didn't make it this far. The Werewolf of Wall Street bought out the dwarf and the elf and sued the bard for copyright infringement. The paladin didn't even make it past the metal detectors in the building, not because security stopped him, but because he admitted defeat upon seeing that his sword and armor were not permitted in the building.</p><p>With all that said, it was a given that things were not going well. "Unbelievable!" Aaravi barked. "This is not how I'm going to die, damn it!"</p><p>"Then we better start thinking of a way out of here," Valerie panted beside her. "I tried texting Vee and the Coven girls, but I haven't heard back yet." Even Val's characteristic chillness was starting to crack.</p><p>Aaravi cocked an eyebrow at Oz and sarcastically remarked, "Who needs a plan when we've got a partysmith?"</p><p>Oz blushed again and stammered, "S-s-sorry?" The snarling sounds of werewolf yes men seemed to be gaining and Oz suddenly found a fresh reserve of strength to keep running. He was never the most athletic guy at Spooky High, though he was at that moment seriously considering taking up cross-country running.</p><p>The trio rounded another corner to a dead end. The only route left to them was the door to another room. And right now they were desperate enough to take it. It was a conference room with a table, chairs, and a projector and screen. A small counter off to the side was there for snacks and refreshments. They wasted no time in using chairs to barricade the door. The table unfortunately was bolted down. Seriously, who was going to steal it? And how?</p><p>Aaravi braced herself against the barricade as the yes men began pounding on the door, the sounds of ravenous barking and jaws snapping only partially muted by the wooden barrier. "Running out of time! I say we just jump out the window and hope our HP is enough. I mean, I know mine is. Can't remember if I still have a potion for that or not..."</p><p>Suddenly, Oz had a thought. It was a long shot, but right now it was their best chance that didn't involve reaching terminal velocity and if high school had taught him nothing else, it was that his long shots had surprisingly good success rates. One of his phobias passed him his phone and he frantically started typing. "I think I've got an idea!"</p><p>Outside the conference room, the werewolf yes men had almost succeeded in tearing down the door. The Werewolf of Wall Street himself marched over in his Hong Kong tailored suit and seeing the door and barricade still in place, kicked both in with one blow. He lumbered into the boardroom amidst the broken remains of the chairs, ready to finish off the last three pests who had insisted on interrupting his business. To say the least, he was surprised to see them all sitting at the table smiling, hands where he could see them and acting as if nothing was wrong. He looked around, expecting some kind of ambush, but none came. The confusion was written clearly on his face. "What are you doing?" he asked the trio.</p><p>"W-well sir," Oz started, clearing his throat to get past the stammer and affect a more golly-gee-whiz demeanor. "Ahem. My name is Oz, and these are my business partners, Valerie Oberlin and Aaravi Mishra. We came here to see if your ruthless reputation was well-earned and you did <em>not</em> disappoint. We-"</p><p>"Wait," the Werewolf interrupted. "Did you say Oberlin? As in... Vera Oberlin?"</p><p>"My sister, big guy," Val grinned. "The Oberlin family has a new a startup in the works and we wanted to let you in on our initial public offering." Oz didn't have the greatest head for business so he let the catgirl do all the talking while Aaravi fidgeted uncomfortably, clearly wanting to stab somebody.</p><p>The Werewolf promptly took a seat at the table, the only other one that hadn't been destroyed. The yes men joined their boss standing behind him. It was kind of creepy. "Well, why didn't you say so? The Oberlins are always welcome here. Shit, if you had opened with that, you wouldn't have had to hire a party of second rate adventurers. Tell me more."</p><p>Valerie glanced at Oz as if to say, 'This better work," before smiling at the Werewolf. "Glad to. To gain traction in the market space these days requires you to leverage your core competencies for optimal productivity and connectivity. Connectivity is the key here as it is the basal element of corporate synergy.  Once you've achieved synergy, you can distill your brand and energize the workforce, creating a feedback loop of productivity." And on she went like that for a solid minute, the Werewolf hanging on her every word and nodding in agreement, his yes men all standing behind him and muttering their obsequiousness.</p><p>Aaravi finally lost a little of her cool, leaned over to Valerie and whispered in her ear, "I'm going to fail a saving throw if you don't do something."</p><p>"Sorry, what was that?" the Werewolf asked.</p><p>Valerie quickly replied, "Ms. Mishra was just... suggesting we get some coffee in here." She offered a Cheshire grin to complement the lie.</p><p>"Warm stamina potion," Aaravi grumbled under her breath.</p><p>"I'll get some," Oz interrupted. "Keep talking, I'll be right back." He quickly stood up and exited the room before anyone could gainsay him. Oz wasted no time and dashed to the nearest window and leaned out to frantically look around. Before long, he found what he was looking for. A bee-man flew up to the window wearing a uniform and carrying a box.</p><p>"Literal Drone Delivery Service. Got a package here for a Mr. Oz."  He held up a small box with a small address printed on it.</p><p>"That's me."</p><p>"Sign here, please." Oz signed the form and accepted the box. "Okay, have a good one."</p><p>"Thanks, you too." The drone buzzed off and Oz pulled himself back in with his delivery, his phobias waving goodbye. Knowing time was of the essence, he raced over to the nearest coffee pot and opened up the contents of the box.</p><p>Back in the boardroom, Valerie was running out of bullshit. "So you see, this is an opportunity to really monetize your assets through... diversification of the business infrastructure, which is, uh... essential in today's globalist marketplace."</p><p>"Oh of course," the Werewolf of Wall Street agreed.</p><p>"How much longer is he going to keep buying this?" Aaravi anxiously whispered.</p><p>"Feel free to help out any time," Valerie quietly retorted. She replaced her smile and regarded the Werewolf and yes men. "Anyway, that's just one of the advantages of this IPO," she said with a hint of forced enthusiasm.</p><p>At that moment, Oz reentered the room carrying a tray of mugs full of hot coffee. "I'm back everybody! Hope I didn't miss anything. Heheh." He began handing out the mugs one at a time until everyone had one. The yes men all waited to see what their boss did. He raised the cup to his lips but stopped when his nose twitched.</p><p>"Something about this coffee smells..." He turned to regard Oz. "Peculiar."</p><p>Valerie and Aaravi snapped their eyes to Oz, who was now on the verge of a cold sweat. "Oh, it's uhhh... an exotic blend?"</p><p>The Werewolf narrowed his eyes. "Exotic how?"</p><p>"It's from..." Oz was wracking his brain to think of something, anything! "Siberia?" Anything else! Valerie's and Aaravi's eyes widened significantly, pupils shrinking down to pin pricks.</p><p>Silence.</p><p>The Werewolf beamed and said, "Oh wonderful! I've heard good things about Siberian coffee." Once again he raised the cup to his lips and took a long, savory sip. His yes men immediately followed suit.</p><p>Valerie and Aaravi reached for their mugs as well, but while Valerie only pretended to drink it, Aaravi actually did and promptly spat it back out. "Blech! What did you put in this-"</p><p>THUD THUD THUD-THUD THUD THUD THUD</p><p>The Werewolf of Wall Street and all of his werewolf yes men dropped dead almost at once. There was a stunned silence before Oz answered the unfinished question. "Colloidal silver and wolfsbane powder. They sell anything as a health supplement these days."</p><p>"Right on, Oz!" Val cheered. "That was great!" Oz was about to thank her when she came up and hugged him. Not some gentle, friendly hug. She practically threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around him laughing. Oz stopped breathing for a second. She felt so soft and warm.  And she smelled so good. Somewhere in the background he heard Aaravi mutter a reluctant compliment and then proceeded to loot the dead bodies; but forget the dead bodies, there was a great living one pressed against him right now! This was nice. Maybe now would be a good time to make a move?</p><p>Oz had just lifted his arms to hug Valerie back when a magical portal opened up in the room and out stepped Joy, Hope and Faith.  Oh goddamnit. They shouted in unison, "Valerie, we're here to- Oh."</p><p>Valerie relinquished her hold on Oz and regarded the Coven but she still kept an arm draped around Oz's shoulders. "Yeah, sorry ladies. Turns out Oz is as smart as he is cute."</p><p>"Mileage may very," Joy dryly remarked. "Still, we're glad to see the three of you are safe. Valerie, we need your help."</p><p>Valerie blinked and shook her head. "Wait, what?"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm getting a sense of where I want to go with this now.  Should be fun.  I plan to incorporate the other characters into the night's escapades piecemeal.  Next time around will obviously be focusing on Oz and Valerie's adventure with the Coven.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Witch, please!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Coven need some help from Valerie and Oz tags along.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Valerie, we need your help."</p><p>The catgirl did a small doubletake at that. "Wait, what?" Oz groaned internally. It seemed the pace of the night wasn't going to be slowing down any time soon.</p><p>"We can explain," Faith said. "Our plan to stop Baron Radu the Uncouth hit a bump. We've all the magic we need, but Radu is guarded by nightmare demons whose only weakness is that they're allergic to cats."</p><p>Oz scratched his head at this one, looking to his phobias who either shrugged or tried to think about it as well. "That's... oddly specific. And convenient."</p><p>"And I didn't want to bring any shelter cats because unlike you, Valerie, they don't have the capacity to consent," Faith continued as if Oz hadn't said anything.</p><p>"All you'd have to do is take a single shielding talisman from us, come with us and scare the demons off while we handle Baron Radu," Joy explained. "You wouldn't be in any danger."</p><p>"Well when you put it like that it sounds kind of boring," Valerie smirked.</p><p>Hope piped in, "And we'll let you keep anything for your shop that's safe to sell."</p><p>Before Joy or Faith could interrupt, and they clearly wanted to, Val replied, "Deal. Can Aaravi and Oz come along?"</p><p>"Actually, uh... I've got a bunch of side quests I should get back to," Aaravi said as she finished looting the last corpse. "There's this necklace rumored to be the vessel of a powerful spirit that I've got my eye on." She looked around for an awkward moment and blushed. "I mean, if that's cool. I-it's not like I want to hang out more."</p><p>"Hey!" piped a small feminine voice. "Listen!" A small green fairy with a tiny pen and steno pad flew out of a pocket in Aaravi's belt. "Aaravi, it sounds like your friends would like to spend more time with you. Why do you think you're so afraid of social interaction?"</p><p>"I AM NOT AFRAID OF SOCIAL INTERACTION AND AM IN NO WAY OVERWHELMED BY THE NUMBER OF SEXY PEOPLE IN FRONT OF ME," Aaravi blurted out in one breath. Her face went bright red and her eyes wide as soon as she finished. The awkward silence was so thick you could spread it on toast.</p><p>It was eventually broken by Oz saying, "What the fuck?"</p><p>Aaravi sighed and explained, "This is Nora, my therapist." She looked absolutely mortified. Nora just dutifully took notes on her patient's reactions.</p><p>Another pause before Valerie finally broke the silence. "So... you still heading out or...?"</p><p>Without another word, Aaravi threw herself out a nearby window. Oz rushed over and looked out in time to see her quaff a potion of some sort and land on the street harmlessly before dashing off. "That was new," he remarked. "Is she... o-okay?" He avoided the other thing he wanted to ask: 'So she thinks I'm sexy?'</p><p>"'Ravi'll be fine," Valerie smiled. "She's just gotta learn to chill. Speaking of, give me a second to text Vera, let her know we're okay."</p><p>No sooner had Valerie finished saying that than Vera burst into the room with an AR-15. "Get away from my...! Oh." Vera looked around at the carnage, put the rifle down and smiled. "Well, Val, I see you've got this under control."</p><p>"Oz's idea, actually," Valerie said, putting her arm around Oz's shoulders bringing forth a fresh blush to his cheeks. "Dude is the bomb dot com." Why was she downplaying her own involvement? Oz never would have been able to stall for time enough without her.</p><p>Vera cocked a brow and nodded, but said nothing. Oz knew that look in her eye. She was filing information away for later. Whether that be his capacity for poison-based murder, or something else he wasn't sure.</p><p>"Anyway, ladies, Oz and I are ready to go when you are," Valerie continued. Oz didn't recall agreeing to join but if it meant getting to spend more time with Val, he'd just roll with it.</p><p>"I don't know if Oz should tag along for this one, Val." Joy folded her arms and clearly expected the rest of the Coven to back her up. "I mean, he did good with the werewolves, but he spends most of his time trying to score a date or slacking off with his idiot friends."</p><p>"For once, siding with the basic bitches on this," Vera frowned. "I don't know what you see in him Valerie, but you can do so much better."</p><p>Granted, they weren't wrong, but Oz couldn't help feeling a little hurt. "I'm r-right here."</p><p>Valerie furrowed her brows and bared her teeth. "If you want to make it like that, then we're just gonna go."</p><p>"Fine by me," Vera said with a triumphant smirk. She turned on her heel and left. "If you'll excuse me, I have things to do."</p><p>Hope fumed a little and glared at where Vera left before sticking her tongue out. "Basic bitches... Show her someday..."</p><p>Faith cleared her throat and regarded the group. "Ladies, perhaps we should not judge Oz too harshly. If Valerie sees value in his accompanying us, then perhaps we should listen to her."</p><p>Joy sighed and let her arms down. "Alright, Faith, you've made your point. Valerie, Oz can come along, but we don't have an extra talisman for him so he's going to have to stay close to you." Oz really liked the sound of that, though it didn't escape his notice that Joy said that with a hint of disgust.</p><p>"Bitchin'" Valerie smirked, pulling Oz a little closer. "So how do we get to Baron von Spookydude?"</p><p>Faith opened up another magical portal and gestured for everyone to go through. "This way, please."</p><p>So now Oz was going on an adventure with the Coven. It's not as if he ever antagonized them like Vera or Damien, he just never really got to know them and they seemed pretty uninterested in getting to know him. Still, it was another chance at spending some time with Valerie. Besides, Joy said they weren't in any real danger, right? How bad could it be?<br/>----------<br/>The pterosaur-like nightmare demons sank their claws into Oz's shadowy flesh, tearing through his cardigan and shirt like they weren't even there. On the positive side, these were the sorts of wounds Oz could just sleep off and heal overnight. On the negative, that didn't mean they didn't hurt like hell at the time. They may have been allergic to cats, but they apparently had no problem with eldritch entities.</p><p>"Oz!" Valerie grabbed for the shadow man as one of the demons carried him off through the collapsed ceiling. "No!"</p><p>Okay, this was a problem. Below him he could see the Coven locked in an arcane duel with Baron Whatever. Valerie was trying to find some way to get to higher ground. And as for the landscape itself, big evil bastards always had a thing for grandiose architecture. The abandoned cathedral they had been fighting in started to slowly recede as the demons flew out over a large graveyard. Pretty soon they'd be too high up for the others to catch them. He needed to think of something quick.</p><p>He glanced down at the tears in his cardigan and noticed something: purple and pink hairs. Valerie! If these things were allergic to cats, then maybe... Oz tore what was left of the cardigan off and twisted around in the nightmare demon's claws to shove the wadded up sweater into the creature's maw. It reacted immediately to the intrusion, trying to shake Oz and the cardigan loose. Not quick enough, though. Oz saw the demon's mouth and throat begin to swell. The Coven weren't kidding about these things being allergic. The demon began swerving and whipping around in the air wildly.</p><p>There was a downside to this plan however: Oz was still about 100 feet up in the air. As the nightmare demon started choking and going into anaphylactic shock, it let Oz go and he proceeded to fall. Again, Oz was aware of just how durable and resilient his shadowy body really was, but pain still hurt and the inevitable impact with the stone floor below was going to really suck.</p><p>Closer... closer... Wait, was that Baron Radu down there? Oh crap.</p><p>Oz landed directly on top of the evil sorcerer and wasn't sure if that crunching noise he heard came from the Baron's neck or his own spine. Maybe both?</p><p>Oz just laid there in a crumpled, painful heap on top of the slain villain as Valerie and the Coven approached.</p><p>"You..." Joy stuttered, "You did it! You defeated Baron Radu the Uncouth!" There was more surprise in her voice than enthusiasm and Oz glanced up to see that she, Hope and Faith apparently had been having a tough fight. There was wear and tear on their outfits, their hair was messed up and Hope was tending to a bloody nose.</p><p>Electing not to say anything, Oz just gave a thumb's up before Valerie came to help him up. "Holy shit, are you okay?" It was a relief to hear real concern in her voice.</p><p>"I'll live... Ow..." He cringed at how strained and pathetic his voice sounded but allowed himself to be helped up. "Man, my chest hurts." He glanced down to see a broken wand sticking out of his ribs. "Oh." Bracing himself, Oz took hold of the wand and slowly pulled it out, his eyes getting very wide and a light sweat breaking out in the process. "NNNNnnnnnnnngh...!" His shirt was now stained with black effluvium from Oz's body and the Baron's blood. He looked exactly like he had just killed someone.</p><p>Faith finished casting a healing spell on Hope and went over to Valerie and Oz to give the latter some first aid. Valerie put one of his arms over her shoulders and tried to steady him as Faith cast her spell. "You had me scared for a second there, dude," she said with a smirk. "Should have known you'd figure something out. See, girls? I told you Oz was the real deal."</p><p>"Though his defeat of Radu was unintentional," Faith said, "credit should be given where due. Good work, Oz."</p><p>Hope and Joy looked at each other, the former raising an eyebrow with a sassy grin and the latter sighing. "Okay, okay. You did good, Oz." She didn't sound especially happy to say it, but Oz was willing to accept the credit anyway.</p><p>Goodbyes were said and the Coven opened up a portal to take Valerie and Oz back home. Upon passing through, Oz saw he was alone again with Val out on the sidewalk outside Spooky High. He decided to make a move before they were interrupted again. "So uh... Valerie. C-can I ask...? I mean, I w-wanted to say something..."</p><p>Valerie raised her eyebrows in intrigue and smiled. "Tell me."</p><p>He never got the chance. An explosion from the school cut him off. They turned to see a plume of black smoke rising into the night sky and Oz could swear he heard Scott's voice in the distance shouting, "Puh-ranked!"</p><p>Fuck.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Something I wrote for the sake of writing.  Let's see where this goes.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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